The invention relates to an RF system for use in a medical MRI apparatus, provided with an RF coil and an RF connection cable connected to said RF coil, which connection cable comprises a number of RF conductors and a number of spacers in the form of drilled-through beads which are provided around said RF conductors and into which the RF conductors extend through the drilled holes in the spacers.
In a medical MRI apparatus, movable RF coils are used for receiving RF signals generated in the tissue of a patient to be examined. Said RF coils are connected, via an RF connection cable, to the RF processing equipment of the MRI apparatus in order to transfer the RF signals induced in the RF coil to said equipment. It is a well-known phenomenon that under certain conditions the signals passing through these RF conductors may be harmful to the patient, in particular cause burns, if the RF connection cable extends close to the skin of the patient.
Swiss patent specification No. 192668 discloses a high-frequency cable wherein an RF conductor is surrounded by a number of bead-shaped spacers, which are spaced apart and rigidly provided on the RF conductor. RF cables for medical MRI applications often require a plurality of conductors, for example four, as a result of which rigidly attaching the spacers to all RF conductors is complicated.